Australia's new govt pursues climate diplomacy in Pacific as China's influence grows
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Australia's Latrobe Valley. The country is now pinning its hopes on its newfound climate diplomacy.
PHOTO: BLOOMBERG
SYDNEY - For the past five years, Australia has been trying to improve ties with Pacific island nations amid concerns about China's growing influence in the region, but Canberra's efforts have repeatedly encountered a stumbling block.
The difficulty for Canberra has been that Pacific leaders, whose nations are facing serious and immediate threats from rising sea levels and the changing climate, have expressed anger and disappointment at the Australian government's failure to adopt serious climate commitments.
